Kick off your shoes and get grounded 👣

Welcome back to Thrivency’s weekly newsletter. I hope you’re well! 👋🏽

This week's edition of Origins of Wellness takes us back to the basics. Literally. We're kicking off our shoes to explore grounding (also called earthing), the practice of connecting your body directly to the earth's surface for more calm, mental clarity and better sleep. And I know what you’re thinking.. dirt? bugs? gross!

Well it's having a major moment on #WellnessTok, but it's really just humans doing what we've done since the beginning of time.

Quick trivia before we dive in ⤵️

Grounding

Areas of origin: The ancient practice of grounding shows up nearly everywhere humans do. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it's tied to the concept of Qi and the Earth element. In Ayurveda, it connects to Prithvi, the Earth element believed to provide strength and stability. From Indigenous cultures across North America to traditional African communities, barefoot walking and connecting with the earth was a part of everyday life and spiritual tradition for generations.

Date of origin: Just like sound baths, grounding doesn't have one clean origin story. It's as old as humanity itself. For most of human history, people simply lived in near-constant contact with the earth: walking barefoot, sleeping on hides, working the land. That connection didn't really break until the 19th century when shoes became the norm and insulated most of us from the ground for the majority of the day.

Original use: Grounding or earthing wasn’t originally a “practice,” it was just life. African healers used clay baths and "grounding stones" in healing ceremonies, believing mineral-rich soil contact could draw out toxins. Ancient Greek and Roman texts reference the therapeutic effects of walking barefoot and bathing in natural water. Aboriginal medicine traditions describe it as a way to stay in harmony with the land and with yourself. The modern "earthing" movement traces back to Clint Ober, a former cable TV executive who began researching the earth's electrical charge and its effects on the body in the 1990s.

What's the science say? The core theory is that the earth carries a mild negative electrical charge, and direct contact allows your body to absorb free electrons that may act like antioxidants, potentially calming inflammation. A widely cited review in the Journal of Inflammation Research found grounding was linked to measurable changes in white blood cells, cytokines, and other inflammatory markers, and more recent trials have pointed to improvements in sleep and stress. That said, most research is still small-scale.

There's something to be said for the simple act of slowing down, kicking off your shoes, and feeling the ground beneath your feet.

That's your history lesson for today! Have you tried grounding? Does the history and science sway you, or are you drawn to it for other reasons?

Before you go, make sure to cast your vote for the next topic of Origins of Wellness.

See you back here next week for a Q&A with a farm-owner incorporating equine energy (that’s horses y’all) into local wellness experiences.

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